Summer memories from our childhood take place in several different settings. Picture a few scenes: our beloved Beach Cottage on North Shore Drive in Surf City, barefoot in the backyard with the smell of fresh dirt in nearby fields surrounding us, swimming in the country club pool eager to charge candy bars and bags of chips to Daddy’s credit at the pro shop and laying on our bellies watching movies in Grandma Carlton’s cool sunroom with the soft sounds of churning Peach Ice Cream coming from the kitchen.
On very special days during the summer, when it was about 100 degrees outside and the North Carolina air was so thick you could cut it with a knife, Grandma would bring out her monster of an ice cream maker and place it on a bench in her kitchen that overlooked where my sister and I were playing. It was in that instant, we knew that only one thing was being made, and that was her homemade Peach Ice Cream.
I remember tasting this ice cream for the first time and experiencing pure joy. It was without a doubt the best thing I had ever tasted in my life at that time as an 8-ish-year-old who adored sweets like her Grandaddy. The ice cream was a beautiful white/cream color with tiny chips of beautiful coral fresh peaches woven in, served to me in a styrofoam cup. From that day on, I would know the painful anticipation of hearing the ice cream machine churn, watching the decadency on the inside go from liquid, to cream, to velvety soft serve. I would also know to savor it to the very last bit at the bottom of the never-big-enough stainless-steel ice cream capsule.
Grandma may or may not have known it, but she was also instilling a love of dairy in us as young girls. Grandma loved filling us with summer southern vegetables and knew that feeding us dairy in addition to those veggies added nutrition in a hearty and comforting way. Dairy products are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, including carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A, D, B12, riboflavin, and niacin. Did you know that just one 8-ounce serving of milk has 8 grams of protein, which builds and repairs muscle tissue? Through working with The Dairy Alliance and attending a dairy farm tour, we’ve learned that milk can be made into a variety of products (hello, ice cream) so that everyone has a choice of their favorite dairy food. No matter which milk-fat percentage you choose, all milk contains the same essential nutrients. That’s amazing!
Unfortunately, Grandma Carlton didn’t write down her Homemade Peach Ice Cream recipe, so here is a recollection of what our aunt and Grandmother Pate remember her using. We’re certain that with this combination we’ve landed pretty close to the OG recipe. We hope you love it as much as we do and that you find yourself eating it on a hot summer day–styrofoam cup optional.
Homemade Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 cups peeled, diced, fresh peaches
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- 1 (3.75 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 cups half and half
Directions
- In a bowl, stir together peaches and sugar, and let stand for 1 hour.
- Process peaches in food processor until smooth.
- In a large bowl, stir together evaporated milk and pudding mix. Stir in peaches, condensed milk, and half-and-half.
- Pour mixture into a 4-quart ice cream freezer and freeze according to appliance instructions.
- Makes 2 quarts.
The Soul-Full Sisters are just sisters who really love food. Quinn Carlton Bostic + Paten Carlton are Duplin County natives, rooted in Raleigh, North Carolina. For these two, it all started with them watching, listening, and tasting. The dishes they loved the most were the ones with the shortest ingredient list you’d ever see. They were taught to appreciate fresh food in season. Their essence and style of cooking have been planted like a seed within them by the women and generations before them. Their layers of love and flavor are reflected in the food they prepare.
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